Man found dead in Hollywood motel room after SWAT standoff, LAPD says

A man was found dead in a Hollywood motel room Thursday after an hours-long standoff with Los Angeles police in which gunshots were fired and several streets in the area were closed.

The man appeared to have died from a gunshot wound, but it was not clear whether that came from police or was self-inflicted, LAPD Sgt. Barry Montgomery said.

The standoff began around 11 a.m. at the Motel 6 in the 1700 block of Whitley Avenue, when someone reported an assault with a deadly weapon, Montgomery told reporters at the scene. Witnesses told police they saw a man with a gun, Montgomery said.

When officers arrived, they contacted the suspect, Montgomery said. At some point, police fired at the man, who then went back into his room and barricaded himself inside.

It was not immediately clear what prompted police to shoot.

The officers called for backup and a SWAT team arrived, Montgomery said. SWAT officers made “several attempts” to contact the man, without success, he said.

About 3 p.m., police sent a robot to look inside the room and realized the man was unresponsive, Montgomery said. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

No one else was injured during the standoff, Montgomery said.

Coroner’s investigators will ultimately determine how the man died, Montgomery said. The man, whose name has not been released, was described as in his 40s.

The LAPD is investigating the shooting by police, as is protocol each time an officer fires his or her gun. The shooting will also be reviewed by the civilian Los Angeles Police Commission, its inspector general and the district attorney’s office.

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